Ok so on the topic of the inner-circle conversation-I think that on reason that guy has more emotion coming from him because he is the main character so far and if there was no one to show the reader that point of view then the book wouldn't be interesting.

The walls are basically interactive television screens. The author uses those T.V. screens to show what happens when one becomes so dependent on technology that it becomes their life, their family, and the ignore everything else.

Silvana-I believe that they are the only ones with new emotions becuase they are the only ones who need the emotions or need to feel that change. The girl also learned from her family which made her have new opinions.

Silvana-First off I think that Clarrasie caused Guy to think deeper. Also, I think that she thought deeper and has more emotions because of her uncle. Her uncle learned more of the past and thought more about these past experiences, causing him to think more.

michelle-i agree with you when you are saying that you think guy has more emotion because he IS the main character. no one would want to read a book with no emotion. it wouldn't be interesting and think about it. where would the problems in the book be without emotion?

I believe that they could use technology to get rid of books, but it is easier to just pour kerosene on them and burn down the house. The fire is much more frightening and powerful, it makes people less eager to disobey.

Silvana -Her Uncle learned about the past through text and books which is supposed to be destroyed, which I think is Montag's job. This is kind of parallel to a video game called assassin's creed in the game there is a chief scholar that is trying to destroy all the books in the city, because they are evil and wrong. With knowing that this stuff is evil and wrong then we could improve future life and the way of life.

Michelle- I think that the robotic dog symbolizes how different Montag is from nearly everyone else. Even something programmed specifically to do nothing but kill knows that he is different, and might disrupt the firehouse, its home.

I believe other people do know about how the world was, but now the are old and people move to fast to care about what they have to say. The people who remember how the world was are the people who are arrested as insane or for keeping books. I think that is why this society is so afraid of books because they hold what the world was like. Maybe the government knows that if those people learn about how the world was, they will try to question society. All oppresion is based on education, so all totalitarian governments keep their people uneducated and uninformed.

Class- I think this society is an extension of our world today. I think the author of this book is trying to warn of us of what happens when the world moves to fast and we become to obssessed with what is practical and what is faster. Everything loses its meaning.

Emily- Yes I think that could be but isn't the hound programmed to attack Guy just a suspicion because nobody else at the firehouse thought he is a target. Also, why wouldn't they wait and attack Guy if thats who their are tryng to get to?

Class- Why do you think the book lies to the firemen in their rule books, stating that Benjamin Franklin was a firefighter? I think they did this so that the firemen would never question their jobs and their society by making them believe that this is the way it always was.

Alex-It seems like they are destroying the books because they don't want the people to think. They don't want other ideas and opinions out in the world. They are afraid that if the people knew about things they would go about and try to change the government. As well if something is published, it can become proof.

Silvana -If all you hear throughout your life is one side of a political issue, what are you more likely to believe. The radios are there just to keep them on the same train of thought its just another way to regulate their society.

Melissa-I don't think the book is lieing to them. Its telling the truth, but probably they didn't know the motive behind Franklins burning of books. Even if they did know the motive, Franklins reasons were most likely different from the governments.

I agree that the seashells aren't thought destroying, they are more destracting. montag's wife has the seashells in her ear 24-7 so nothing in the real world can touch her. She can not think, question, care, or love because all that matters to her is what she hears in the seashells.

Ryan- I think that the Hound is a mechanical dog designed with special technologies that can be programmed. The firemen program it to kill the mice and cats in the firehouse, although I don't know why.

I'm farely sure Benjamin Franklin was not a firefighter and he deffinetly did not burn books. That makes it a lie. The firemen think people have always burned books, so they don't think to question their actions and society.

Katie-That is true, but the amount of dealth they experience seems way over the top. She had multiple friends being killed in a year, and that seems unrealistic to me, and it seems that if it so controlled why are there so many dealths.

Monick -Everybody wants to stay i power as long as possible, the burning of the books is a way to regulate how much people learn it sets them all at the same level and they can not get smarter unless they read and use there reading for thought. Even the smartest people can get distracted though, the radios are like watching tv while doing your homework, you can not concentrate so you are not turning in your best work you could have done.

Melissa-What if you were someone else who didn't know much about Benjamin Franklin. You would question if Franklins was a firefighter, but you wouldn't be exactly sure if he did burn books or not. You would accept it as the truth, but you would probably wonder if he reason for burning books differed from the current firefighters in the book. But I do agree on what you say about how the firemen believe they have always burned books and don't question their actions.

chrisf-The society is controlled, but the world they want to create through that control is flawed. They want whatever is faster, whatever is more realistic, and no one cares about anyone anymore. The death portrayed in this book reminds me of the demorilization caused by video games and movies. Children today view violence constantly. The people in this book are taught that destruction is good. They have no books or history to question their controlled society.

inner circlei think janie is making a really good point in the inner circle. people want to see distruction it makes them feel better about their own lives. thats why people watch news. and with the fire thing. we like fire its human nature. we like to see distruction. there is a lot of violence in the book

BryanChina is trying to control what the people see and hear because if you control the media you control the people. It makes people keep faith in the government if they are uninformed about their government's actions.

Bryan-The China govenment doesn't want people to know what the government has done in the past. If people knew what did happen, they would try and change the country. Rebellions would probably happen more often, and the less people know the better for the government. They want to limit and restrict their people.

class- people agree to live in a oppressed society because with freedom comes responsibility and danger. It is so easy to give up free chose in exchange for security. Most of those people don't even know what it means to be free, which is why books are so dangerous, because books would show those people what the society is missing.

Edmond -I agree they are taking away the peoples freedom of thought and speech and by putting down the suttle changes and only presenting the people with what the government wants them to hear it becomes a dictatorship, that the people can not recognize, because they don't know better.

Bryan-That may be part of the issue. If there are so many people, and all these people are rebelling they would have utter chaos. So, I think that China's style of government is to stop rebellion and control possible chaos.

I agree with ChrisF. Knowledge and freedom can cause danger. These people value security over freedom. I saw the same idea in The Pedestrian, where the people are afraid to live their homes, to accept the world with its dangers and opprotunity. They live in the dark because they fear the light.

Kate-I do think it is similar to the Pedestrian. It is also just showing that Guy and Clarisse are different. Also how all the lights are on in Clarisse's house shows that they have the 'light' of knowledge.

Kate-I think the lights are off not because of fear but because they are so used to this way of living that, that is how they live. I don't think that they are scared that is just how it is in their society.

Ryan-Of course it isn't a good thing.I'm sure from the scene where Montag describes the hound sprining on a cat or mouse and a needle retracting from its paws and injecting the mouse with some kind of lethal tranquilizer. So it's obvious purpose is to kill. But WHAT exactly.

I agree with what Janie is saying about the Hound. There are people who believe the books are precious and feel anger when the firemen burn the books. The hound is there for protection for the firemen.

Chris -Good point, but the chaos is still rooted into the government. There wouldn't be chaos if the governemnt had not made those bad choices which modern people living in China do not even know about.

Melissa-I agree, why else would the houng want to harm him? Did someone program the hound? Or does the Hound think for itself to an extent? Is it programmed to indentify the threats and dangers to society?

Bryan-That may be true, and they wouldn't have this issue if they would have never made these decisions. The government did make these disicions though, and now the are stuck. If they make changes there will be chaos, so I think they have to keep this style of government to keep order.

Class- I see a connection to Lord of the Flies with the obsession of burning books. Jack represents the classic, oppresive, totalitarian government. Piggy represents wisdom, so it makes sense that Jack would want to destroy Piggy as the government in this society wants to destroy books. Two factors support an oppressive government, fear and unreasoning.

Chris -We see America as a great country, but we have gone through many different social struggles. Look at the Cival War, America would not be America if we did not resolve slavery through a very bloody battle.

Silvana-I don't think the government is as extreme as the system of ruling in Harrison Bergeron. In Fahrenheit 451 I think the people have accepted subtle changes and have slowly evolved as a society, to live according to a system.

Monick- the firmen believe the Hound can only be programed by them with amino acids. However, they do see Guy as a bit of a threat. The firechief did question Guy several times, asking him if he owns any books, if he is guilty of something. The society is based on mistrust.

Bryan-Very true, we did have to go through many struggles, but i don't think China wants to go through these struggles. We already know that China is not a very strong government, and I think that if they had these struggles they wouldn't know how to deal with the issues.